The Ohio State Buckeyes are in Piscataway, New Jersey, to take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at 8:00 p.m. ET. Ohio State is 14-4 in the all-time series against Rutgers and has won its last three meetings against the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers has won two of their previous three games against Ohio State at the Jersey Mike’s Arena.
This season, Ohio State has a 9-3 record, starting 1-1 in Big Ten play, while Rutgers is 7-6 and has gone 0-2 in Big Ten play. Rutgers has won two straight games after going 1-6 from November 21 to December 13. On DraftKings Sportsbook, Ohio State is a -8.5 favorite with the game’s over/under being set at 150.5 points. Here is my best bet for tonight’s Ohio State vs. Rutgers college basketball game.
Ohio State vs. Rutgers (8:00 p.m. ET)
Ohio State is 3-3 in its previous six games, with its last two losses coming against top-25 teams, North Carolina and Illinois. The Buckeyes beat Grambling 89-63 in their previous game on December 23. Veteran guard Bruce Thornton is averaging 21 points per game and is Ohio State’s leading scorer.
Ohio State is ranked No. 35 on KenPom, with Rutgers being 159th. Rutgers has the 205th-best offensive rating and 118th-best defensive rating in college basketball. Ohio State’s offense ranks 31st while its defense ranks 61st. Rutgers has struggled mightily on offense this season, only averaging 68.7 points per contest. The Scarlet Knights only have two players averaging double-digit points and four players with seven or more points. Rutgers has only scored 80-plus points three times this season, with each one coming in the first two weeks of the season.
Six of Ohio State’s nine victories this season have come by at least nine points. Although Ohio State’s offense has been inconsistent, it still possesses more upside than Rutgers’s. Ohio State averages 86.3 points per contest, nearly 18 more than Rutgers. Although the Buckeyes lost to No. 12 North Carolina two games ago, they only allowed 71 points, which is impressive. Ohio State should be able to wear Rutgers down with an elite performance from Thornton alongside their frontcourt featuring Devin Royal and Christoph Tilly, who combine to average 27.3 points and 11.6 boards. Also, Rutgers has lost five games this season by nine or more points.
